Coffee Days
by Ren-kyun
Summary: A bunch of peaceful, Hidekane prompts and AU's that have to do with coffee. No ghouls, no crying, no angst.
1. Chapter 1

**1\. You just spilt coffee all over my pants and are tying to wipe it off in front of all these people stop apologizing it's alright I promise AU**

Hide wasn't really all that into coffee. A few of his friends, on the other hand, drank it like their life depended on it. So when his upperclassman suggested a fairly high rated cafe, Hide declined at first. He disliked the bitter taste, and places like those were usually too tame for his energetic self.

His upperclassman being the standoffish guy he was, simply shrugged and told him 'whatever.' But later on, Hide received text with the name of the place, Anteiku. His upperclassman also typed that it really was a nice place just to relax. Hide laughed at this, for some reason finding it hard to picture the man relaxing. Still, he just closed his cell and continued to his home.

The night after helping out a committee at his college, he walked by the cafe of interest. The sign read closed, after all it was nearly time when most people hit the hay. Hide's eyes lingered on the building. He looked through the glss and saw that someone was cleaning in the dark. His curiosity got the better of him, and he stopped and peered through the window.

It was a black haired male. His hair was neat and uniform tidy. He had a small frame, making Hide think that he was younger than him, possibly in high school. Though it was difficult to see, his skin looked white and fair and his eyes seemed to shine an intelligent grey.

He wasn't particularly attractive. No, he was closer to pretty, even cute. He held a plain appearance. There was nothing special about him, really. Even still, the male managed to catch Hide's eyes. A spark lit up inside of him and he began to wonder. Who is he? What's his name? What was he doing here so late?

Apparently after a few minutes of staring, Hide had also caught the male's eyes, for his stormy orbs locked with his observer. They stared silently at each other before the male's blank face twisted into that of surprise. He took a step back and looked away, seemingly embarrassed by Hide's gaze.

Hide blinked, unsure how to react. That was... a surprisingly adorable reaction. A bit cliche, but adorable nonetheless.

After a while of nervously looking down, the black haired male gathered the courage to meet Hide's eyes again. He continued staring, mouth stretched in an awkward frown, demeanor that screamed of his submissiveness, and a slight tint of pink on his cheek. A tiny smile leaked through on Hide's face. It soon grew into a bright grin, then into a radiant laugh. He couldn't help it, the black haired male's face was too cute.

When Hide opened his eyes, he saw that the male's face was completely red, glowing from nose to ears. He gripped the cloth he was using to clean in both hands and ran through a door into the back. Hide was frozen in shock before laughing once again. What kind of person gets that flustered by a simple smile?

He resumed walking home, chuckling to himself every so often.

The next day, Hide was determined to go meet the boy from the previous night. He anxiously tapped his foot in class earning him some annoyed looks from students who were trying to pay attention. He didn't care, the only thing on his mind was the black haired male's embarrassed expression. He laughed aloud and had to ask to go to the bathroom to calm himself down.

The minute the lecture was over, Hide raced out of the room. He looked for one of his friends and frantically asked him to tell the others he couldn't help with their committee today. Before even hearing his response, Hide was already sprinting in the opposite direction.

Once outside, he texted his upperclassman asking if Anteiku was closed today. He was granted a usual response, 'You're such an idiot, of course it's open today. Why the hell wouldn't it be?' Hide read the crude message with a smile on his face.

It took him a little, but he managed to find the building from before. He calmed his labored breath, trying to look like he didn't just run a marathon. After a minute, he slowly walked inside.

The smell of coffee overtook Hide the second he walked in. Though it was a bit unpleasant, he didn't really mind it. The whole feeling of the shop oozed serenity. Hide felt the relaxing mood as he sat, wondering if this was why his upperclassman wanted him to experience the cafe. It really was a nice feeling.

Hide began to scan the area, hoping to see the black haired youth from before. It was already 4:00, so he should've been there. He began to chastise himself, _you don't know if he's even in today. He could have club activities. Maybe that night was his last on the job._ So many possibilities arose, but they were quickly squashed when the back door opened.

"See this label here, idiot Kaneki. Dark roast. _Dark_."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Touka-chan."

"Say that to the customer, not me."

Two figures emerged and one of them was the boy from last night. The second was a girl with short dark hair and long side bangs. Despite her cold expression and crude outburst, she was still extremely pretty. So much so that Hide was enthralled by both of the workers.

The two went their separate ways, Touka, Hide only assumed, coming to him while Kaneki, also know as the black haired male, went behind the counter. He bowed to an elderly man, apologizing for his mistake in brewing.

"Is there anything you'd like to order?" Touka's demeanor shifted into an open, friendly one. She held a smile, a complete turnaround from the scowl on her face before. There was his upperclassman's point on good service.

Hide frowned, unsure what to get. He rarely ever drank coffee, he wasn't even sure what was good. "What do you suggest? Something not too bitter would be nice." He held back from flirting, not really wanting to be kicked out after two minutes of being in the shop.

"Hmm, how about a cappuccino?" She held a notepad and pen, ready to write it down.

Hide nodded and replied with a cheery "Alright!" wondering how sweet a cappuccino was.

The waitress nodded and walked away, leaving Hide alone. He awkwardly sat and waited, wondering if he should've brought something to do. Probably.

After a minute of twiddling his thumbs, he allowed his eyes to wander back to the barista, Kaneki. His first thought, _Wow he looks better in the light_. He nearly slapped himself. He couldn't help it though, the kid was truly pretty. Hide noted how brilliant his smile was and how white his teeth looked. How he looked brewing coffee and his passive expression as Touka scolded him for screwing up yet another order.

Hide questioned how new he was to the staff. At times, it looked like he knew what he was doing. He would hear some of the customers praise his drinks. But, on the other hand he would clumsily slip and break some cups. Hide would also hear complaints from others, saying that it was too sweet or the incorrect roast.

He continued watching the barista for a while. He felt a little creepy from time to time, but he simply shrugged at the feeling. Yes, it was his fault for not bringing anything to do, but oh well. He'll bring some of his assignments next time.

"Kaneki." Hide heard one of the older barista talking to the black haired male. "Bring this cappuccino over to the kid with the messy hair." He pointed at Hide giving Kaneki the drink. "That one."

Kaneki nodded and began his trek over to the table when he realized who the barista was pointing to. Their eyes met for a third time. Hide wave and smiled pleasantly at the fidgeting male, snickering internally. What were the odds of him switching servers and getting the black haired barista he's had his eyes on? What a life.

With a shaky breath, Kaneki held the drink in the tray close and began walking. Hide kept a friendly smile, trying to ease the stiff server. Unfortunately, that didn't work.

He was only a few feet away from making it to the table when Kaneki tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his face. As expected, the cappuccino went forward, spilling onto Hide's lap.

The college student jumped out of his chair, hissing at the hot liquid. It was painful and embarrassing. Not because coffee was thrown onto him, he didn't really care about that, he was more embarrassed for the poor barista who jumped up immediately.

He was opening and closing his mouth, desperately trying to find words that just refused to come out. So instead, he whipped out a cloth and ran over to him wiping his pants off. Slowly, his voice returned, shakily sputtering a barrage of, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, oh my god, I'm so sorry!"

Hide began, laughing slightly, "No, it's fine-"

"I'm sorry, I really am so sorry!" Kaneki began getting louder. His face was burning shamefully as did his best to wipe up the mess. " _I'm so, so sorry!_ "

People began looking over at the strange scene. Some chuckled, some frowned, some chatted amongst themselves about there goes that college barista again ( _Ah_ , Hide thought, _so he is a college student_ ). Touka rubbed her temples and the older barista let out a strained laugh.

"Kaneki-san, it's okay-"

"Ah, no it's not! I ruined your pants!"

"Kaneki-"

"God, I'm so bad at this! I'm sorry!"

"I-"

"I'm so sorry-"

"Kaneki-san!" Hide grabbed the poor male's hands to stop him. "It's alright, really! You don't have to apologize." For good measure, Hide flashed a luminous grin. Kaneki's red face turned a shade darker.

"But-"

"It's no big deal. I'm fine." He laughed and let go of Kaneki's hands. "It surprised me a little, but I'm alright."

Kaneki frowned, gripping the cloth. It reminded Hide of the night prior, only they were actually talking to each other now. "Are... Are you sure?"

"Positive! I don't even like these pants!"

Kaneki looked up at Hide's bright face and let out a small smile. He began to chuckle at Hide's joke, allowing himself to relax a little. "I-I see. Ah, but I truly am sorry..." He looked at the other expectantly.

"Nagachika Hideyoshi." Hide stated his name proudly. "But I insist you just call me Hide."

"Hide." The name rolled off his tongue so easily. "I really am-"

"Enough of that." Hide laughed. "It's fine. I'm fine. The pants aren't, but we covered that already." He earned another one of Kaneki's sweet laughter. "But you know what isn't fine? I don't know your full name." Hide smiled, praising himself for that smooth move.

Another laugh escaped Kaneki's lips. "Ken. Kaneki Ken. It's very nice too meet you, Hide. Though, I kinda wish it happened in a different way." He held out his hand, waiting for Hide to shake it.

"I don't." With a pleasant expression, Hide returned the handshake. "I think our meeting was incredibly interesting!"


	2. Chapter 2

**2\. We're forced to share a table at the coffee shop for a couple of days in a row because the shop is so crowded AU**

Kaneki's eyes stayed on the textbook, calmly explaining what the difference between a variable and a constant was. He had to do this now, he was too invested in it with the light-haired male.

Said male was Nagachika Hideyoshi, or Hide as he insisted Kaneki call him that. He was going to the same college as Kaneki, but was the department on the opposite side as his, so they haven't really met. Until a couple of days ago that is.

It was exam week, and a small, local cafe was crowded with exhausted students trying their best to stay alive with a cup of joe. Kaneki was a regular at Anteiku. He enjoyed the quiet atmosphere and delicious drinks they made. He would just bring a book and read, soaking in the tranquil feeling.

But unfortunately, when Kaneki arrived at his usual stop, it was horrendously busy. There were forty, maybe fifty college and high school students yelling their orders, complaining to each other loudly, and just bothering all the other regulars. The staff couldn't really kick them out, after all they were paying customers, but Kaneki could see the stress written on all their faces.

Touka, a female barista that he'd come to pretty well, was rushing around the packed building, scribbling the rowdy student's requests. A venti mocha there, a caramel latte over here, black roast in the back.

At the same time, Irimi and Koma, two older baristas, were scrambling behind the bar, making the students orders as quickly as possible. Kaneki arrived just in time to see one of the coffee makers break while Irimi was on her phone, calling for a man named Yomo to come in.

At first, Kaneki thought about up and leaving, but he was also quite exhausted and was really looking forward to his coffee. So with a heavy sigh, he added one more burden to the poor staff's table. He walked past the dense crowd, occasionally being pushed and sneered at. He did his best to stay out of the vicious students' path and was scanning the place, trying to see if his table was taken.

Ah, of course it was. What was he expecting?

Kaneki, being the shy, passive type, decided against approaching the light-haired student that occupied his usual seat. He instead opted to stand, leaning against the wall, waiting for Touka to come around and take his order.

His grey eyes met hers for a moment. She gave him a look as if saying 'oh great, you're here too.' Kaneki replied with a small, apologetic smile. She scowled back and turned swiftly to focus on the opposite side of the shop. Kaneki sunk his head in defeat.

"Ahahah! That was pretty cold of her." At first, Kaneki ignored the comment, passing it off as someone else's. "Oh, hey. It's rude to ignore someone!" Kaneki, again, let it pass. Though, he did note that the tone didn't shift into one of annoyance, but one more akin to amusement. "Oi, black hair with the dorky cardigan!" That caught Kaneki's attention.

He turned to the source of the somewhat offensive statement with a surprised expression. The light-haired student, who currently was in possession of his table, kept an easy grin on his face. "So you respond to that, huh?" He chuckled as Kaneki's face turned a pinkish red.

"W-What?" He uttered, unable to comprehend why this guy was talking to him and mocking his fashion sense.

"I was just saying how that waitress was ice cold to you, man! It was kind of funny! Er... no offense that is." So he found it appropriate to say 'no offense' here but not before?

Kaneki cleared his throat, trying to calm himself down. "I-I know her. So it's not really that big of a deal."

"Oh," the student laughed, light and fluffy, "I see."

"Yeah." Kaneki let the conversation trail off, turning his head the other way. But the other student wouldn't have any of that.

Pushing his chair out to get closer to Kaneki, he started up again, "So, are you like a regular here? Or is she your girlfriend?"

If Kaneki was drinking coffee, thank god Touka didn't give him any, he wouldn't done a spit-take on the poor girl in front of him. That was way to sudden! Kaneki didn't even know the guy's name and he was already asking about his non-existent love life. "E-Excuse me!?"

The student broke out into a laughing fit. "Oh man, your face is priceless! I'll assume you two aren't doing the do then."

"Doing the do!?"

"Pffft- Ahahahah! It's ten times funnier coming from your mouth!" The student doubled over in his chair, gripping his coffee cup in one hand. "You're a riot, you know."

Kaneki, thoroughly shamed, puffed his cheeks out irritated. "No, I didn't know that." He kept a pout firmly on his face, hoping to spread the message to the other.

Maybe he was dense, but he just continued. "My name's Nagachika Hideyoshi! It's great to meet you, can I know your name?" He had calmed down sufficiently and now held a friendly smile on his features. Keeping one hand on his coffee, he stuck the other hand out, waiting for Kaneki to return the gesture.

Despite how immature and rude he was to Kaneki, he still wasn't the type to ever be rude back. So shaking Nagachika's hand, he simply said, "Kaneki Ken."

Nagachika's grin grew. "You wanna sit down? This is your table after all."

Releasing his hand, Kaneki nodded. "Yeah." He pushed himself off the wall and walked around the table. He pulled out the chair, only to stop mid motion. "Wait a minute. How'd you know...?"

"You were staring at it before." A steady smile graced his face. Kaneki wondered if he had any other expression. "I thought you were checking me out, but you didn't respond to my beautiful voice, so I assumed you just wanted the table."

Somewhat shocked, Kaneki stood frozen. So he wasn't as dense as he first initially thought. _Or_ , Kaneki tried, _I'm just not that subtle in staring at tables_. Kaneki finally decided to sit down after deciding to go with the latter.

Nagachika began talking once again. "I'm here because of exams, big surprise. But I seriously needed a pick me up after studying so much! I was seriously exhausted!" Maybe to prove a point, he gripped his coffee and downed it until there was none left. He let out a big breath when he finished. "Ah! I'll call for the waitress now. So you can get a cup, and I can get a refill. You see, it's always win-win with me." He chuckled and called for Touka, who nodded and began making her way over.

"So you're in college, Nagachika-san?"

"Woah, your going real polite with the honorifics! Just Hide is fine. Actually, I'd rather you call me Hide."

Kaneki blinked, unsure. "Um, okay then. You're in college, Hide?"

"Yep!" He nodded enthusiastically and added proudly, "I attend Kamii, which is pretty awesome considering my grades aren't nerd level!"

Kaneki would've done another spit take, if he had coffee of course. "You go to Kamii!?"

"Yep. Pretty cool, right?"

"Yeah, actually." Kaneki admitted. He awkwardly twiddled his thumbs underneath the table. "I, um, go to Kamii as well."

Hide pushed back in his seat over dramatically. "Whaaaat!?" Then with a knowing look, he calmly scooted forward and smiled, resting his cheek in his palm. "Just kidding. I kind of figured that much. You seem like the kind of guy who would get in there no problem."

Kaneki frowned. "That's a compliment, right?"

Hide laughed. "Yeah, don't worry! It's cool that you're smart, I guess."

"You guess?"

Hide began to sweat slightly. He pulled at his shirt collar. "Oh- ah here's the waitress! I'll have a cappuccino! What are you gonna have, Kaneki?"

Kaneki sighed and decided to let Hide's comment and lack of honorific slide, instead turning to Touka and saying, "The usual, Touka-chan."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't act so lax, Bakaneki." With a frown etched on her face, she turned around and was gone like that.

"Bakaneki?" Hide held himself back from laughing, knowing that he got away from that last statement by the skin of his teeth.

Kaneki blushed slightly, but waved his hand nonchalantly."Yeah, I'm not sure why she's always so crude to me."

Hide smiled. "Maybe she likes you." His smile stayed, but strained slightly.

"Eh!?" Kaneki's face flushed and he put out his hands in denial. "No way! S-She wouldn't like someone like me!"

Hide smiled.

* * *

The next day was as busy as the last, and Kaneki found himself once again in the company of the chittering Hide. They were serving faster than before. Kaneki speculated that it was from the new person behind the counter. He had grey hair and hard eyes, but Roma and Irimi seemed to laugh and talk to him normally, so Kaneki assumed he wasn't that bad.

"Is all this really gonna be on that exam!?" Hide held the textbook out, furrowing his eyebrows. "That's insane! I'm gonna fail!"

Kaneki calmed sipped on his coffee, for some reason, already used to his new companion's outlandish behavior. "Probably, unless you start studying. You've just been yelling at the book for ten minutes straight, try reading it."

"Read a textbook? Really, Kaneki?" Hide leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Alright, Smarty Pants. Why aren't you studying then?"

"I do study. In the library, not here. It's way too noisy." With an even expression, Kaneki set his cup down and copied Hide's pose. "Plus I pay attention to the lectures."

Hide snickered, unrelenting. "Are you implying I don't?"

"... Yeah, pretty much."

All at once Hide easily cracked. With a groan, he buried his face in the textbook and exclaimed, "You're right! I don't!"

Kaneki rolled his eyes, but let a tiny smile shine through. "Hide."

"Kaneki."

He laughed, reaching across the table to prop Hide up. "You really have to study. Come on, I'll tutor you."

Hide visibly brightened. "Really? You would do that?" Kaneki nodded, sipping on his drink again. "Alright! You're the best, Kaneki!" He triumphantly threw his hands up, causing Kaneki to chuckle once again.

"You've barely known me for two days."

"So?" Hide grinned. "Doesn't it feel like we've already been friends forever?" His grin stayed.

Kaneki scooted his chair around the table to be next to Hide. He pulled the textbook in between them. "Nope, not really." Kaneki smiled, brushing his fingers against his chin. He laughed as Hide's expression dropped into fake disbelief.

"How cold!"

Hide grinned.

* * *

"Exams are tomorrow, I'm so screwed!"

Kaneki sighed, reading over Hide's messy notes. He rested his chin on his palm. "You'll do fine. We're covering the main stuff, so you'll at least get that right."

Hide gripped his head and gritted his teeth. "Oh, man. Kaneki, what would I do without you?" He snatched his coffee and drank it in big gulps. He needed all the caffeine he could get. The night before, he was up studying Kaneki's notes while the black-haired male quizzed him over the phone.

Following Hide, Kaneki chugged his own drink, his eyelids threatening to shut any minute. He was beyond tired, but still determined to get Hide caught up with the information. Hide's academic standpoint stood at abysmal levels. Kaneki knew his light-haired friend was smart in many ways, but apparently not in Japanese history, mathematics, or English... And many other subjects, but those were the ones bringing him down the most.

"Numbers 2 through 9, 11, 13, 14, 17, 23, 28 through 35 are wrong. And your explanation on 25 can use some tweaking." Kaneki sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes. "You have more than half of these wrong, Hide."

Hide groaned. "I know, I know! Gah, I just can't figure it out!"

Kaneki leaned over and pointed at question 2, "You used the wrong formula here which threw you off in this entire section."

"Wrong formula..." Hide slapped his forehead. "Oh crap! How do you know when to use that one?"

" _Aughhh!_ " Kaneki threw his head down onto the table in intense exasperation. "Hide! We went over this last night!" His forehead throbbed at the the sudden action, but he was too exhausted and irritated to care.

Hide scratched his cheek. "We did?"

Kaneki just pointed at the textbook. "Page 359. It told all about the formula and the tricks of when to use it. The stupid thing even explained it step-by-step! You recited the entire page at three in the morning!"

Hide had the audacity to laugh. "Someone's salty today." His laugh stayed.

"You kept me up all night, just to help you study," Kaneki murmured, face still implanted on the table, "We went over at least a hundred pages, covering topics that were said in the beginning of the semester. I went to bed at seven in the morning and woke up an hour later to my alarm clock, reminding me that I still have to get up and go to class. Then I suffered through five hours of cramming for everything on my exam and had to come here only to find out I have to re-teach you half the stuff from yesterday night."

Kaneki finally lifted his head and glared at the light-haired male. "I think I have the right to be just a little salty today, Hide."

"Woah man." Hide held up his hands defensively, but kept an amused smile. He knew his friend's rant was serious, but not serious enough to break their going on three-day friendship. "I'm sorry, and believe me, I really appreciate all you're doing." He chuckled slightly. "Really, Kaneki. You're a life saver!"

Kaneki frowned, a little touched, but still grumpy. He picked up the two closed textbooks on the other side of the table and dropped them onto the table in front of Hide. The sound of book hitting wood startled both Hide and the others around him. Kaneki couldn't care less at this point.

"You're going to pass this exam. I didn't go though this horrible three days only to have you come up empty and having to take summer school. You're going to pass, got it Hide?"

Hide's eyes were wide, and he opened and closed his mouth, unsure what to say.

"Got it, Hide?"

Snapping out of it, Hide nodded. It took a second, but a wide grin appeared. _There it is_ , the black-haired male thought. "Got it, Kaneki."

Then Hide laughed.

* * *

Neither of them met at Anteiku the next day. The cafe was nearly abandoned, with Touka gone as well. It was the day.

Kaneki didn't have too much trouble during his testing. He was unsure of a few answers, but nothing really stumped him. He just hoped the same went for Hide.

They did their late night studying the night prior, but Hide decided to cut it short. He said that they should probably get a good night sleep. Kaneki reluctantly agreed, but still wanted to review a few more things with Hide.

" _Nah. It's already past midnight. You gotta sleep today, you were so dead yesterday._ "

Stifling a yawn, Kaneki protested into the phone, "But Hide-"

" _Kaneki, go to bed. You sound like you're from a cheap zombie movie._ "

Leave it to Hide to have the stupidest analogies. "Hide, just promise me to look over page 326 and 412 in your Japanese history textbook before exams start."

" _Mhmm..._ " Hide sounded as if he was drifting off.

"And memorize the formula on the fourth page of your notes."

" _Got it..._."

"And Hide."

A big yawn came through from the other end. Kaneki heard the click of Hide's lamp turning off. " _Yeah, Kaneki?_ "

Kaneki softly grabbed his chin. "You'll do fine. We covered as much as we can, you'll pass." His hand worked its way past his face and ran through his black hair, pushing his bangs back. It then fell, arm swinging back and forth. "I believe in you."

" _Goodnight Kaneki_."

"Good luck Hide."

* * *

The next week past without meeting. Exams were over, but both Hide and Kaneki agreed that resting was a smarter option then forcing themselves out of bed to meet each other at a coffee place when they really don't want anymore caffeine pumping through their system.

So Kaneki stayed in his apartment, deciding to sleep for three hours. He was pretty confident about his scores, but still was worried. His goal this semester was to get in the top five exam results, but meeting Hide kind of threw a monkey wrench in that plan. Not that he minded though, he quite enjoyed the presence of the smiley male.

He doesn't regret anything.

It was around six at night when Kaneki awoke. He stretched and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before getting out of his bed. He waltzed into his kitchen and checked the refrigerator to see if he had any of those delicious hamburgers he loved.

... Of course not. He let out a loud breath and grabbed his hoodie. "Whatever, I need to get out of the house anyway." He told himself frowning. And with that, he left, locking the door behind him.

He contemplated calling Hide and asking him if he maybe wanted to come, but decided against it. He didn't wanna disturb him, especially if he was sleeping.

Kaneki decided to eat out, since he was still somewhat tired from his exams. He went to his favorite place, next to Anteiku and the bookstore, an American style restaurant Big Girl. It would honestly just make him feel better since the food there was his favorite, cooked and seasoned to perfection. Kaneki's mouth nearly watered just thinking about it.

It was a little lonely saying, "Just one," when the hostess asked him how many, but Kaneki didn't care. He was led to a booth near the back. He thanked the hostess when she handed him the menu.

"Hmm, I already know what I want." Kaneki muttered to himself, smiling ever so slightly. "I'm here all the time..."

"Eh, Onii-chan?" A voice literally came from above, and Kaneki jumped in surprise. He looked toward the sweet voice and sighed. Peaking from above the divide was Fueguchi Hinami, a child Kaneki used to tutor. They had grown quite close in the time they spent together, so much so that Hinami felt obligated to call him 'big brother.' "So that was Onii-chan's voice! Mother look, it's Onii-chan!"

A second head emerged from the divide. "Ah, Kaneki-kun."

"Fueguchi-san." Kaneki greeted back.

They had decided to share a table after the waitress saw that the two parties knew each other. Which was nice so Fueguchi Ryouko and Hinami didn't have to constantly be kneeling on the chairs. Hinami stuck close to Kaneki, hugging his arm while happily smiling and swinging her feet.

Ryouko held a pleasant expression, asking why Kaneki was here today. She was also quite fond of the college student and truly enjoyed talking with him. "Oh, so you had just finished exams." She held her cheek and tilted her head. "I expect you did well, Kaneki-kun. Right?"

Kaneki chuckled, holding a glass of water in his hand. "I definitely passed, but I don't think I did as well as I had hoped."

Hinami looked up at the black-haired male curiously. "Eh? Why's that, Onii-chan?" She frowned. "You're one of the the smartest people I know."

A smile leaked through and Kaneki replied, "Thank you, Hinami-chan. But I didn't study too well. Plus, I really didn't get a really good night sleep before the exams started."

Ryouko blinked. "Why's that?"

An expression of pride creeped across Kaneki's face as he thought about Hide's cheery face. "I was tutoring someone before exams. He really needed help, so I stayed up late and helped him every day and night before they started."

"Oh, how nice of you, Kaneki-kun." Ryouko praised with a serene smile. "It must've been a very good friend for you to go that extra mile."

"...Yeah." Kaneki frowned, thinking.

* * *

Two weeks flew by and Kaneki saw his results. Not the top five, like he had hoped, but he could take rank nine with a smile. He was proud of himself, so that's what matters. That and Hide's results.

The enthusiastic male had texted him, saying to meet him in at Anteiku. Kaneki would be lying if he said he wasn't excited and also extremely nervous. After class, he rushed to the coffee shop, somewhat happy to see the tranquil vibe return to what it was before exam week.

He entered the cafe and was greeted surprisingly by Touka. She held up a paper, with a smirk. "Look at this. I actually did pretty damn good."

Kaneki smiled, glad for the high schooler. "Wow, Touka-chan!" He grabbed the paper and examined it. "These are your best scores yet!... Except for world history... That one is terr-"

With a furious blush, Touka snatched the paper and scowled. "Yeah, yeah, I know. What about you, idiot Kaneki. I bet you ranked first in your whole stupid college."

Kaneki found it amusing that Touka called both him and his college stupid, despite both of them being quite intelligent. "Nah. I wish."

Rolling her eyes, Touka walked off, mumbling about how lame Kaneki was for wishing to do well. He had to laugh at that a little.

He strolled over to his usual spot and smiled as Hide waved energetically at him. He hoped that was a good sign. "Yo Kaneki!"

"Hello Hide." Kaneki replied. He sat down and was surprised to see a cup of coffee waiting for him already. He gave Hide a questionable look, in which he responded with a silly grin. Kaneki brushed it off and instead decided to go straight to the point. "How'd you do?"

Hide took a deep breath and slowly brought a paper into sight. "I think you'll be quite surprised."

"Oh," Kaneki raised an eyebrow, leaning forward on the table, "will I?"

With a smirk plastered on his face, Hide dramatically held out the paper in front of Kaneki. He winked and gave a thumbs up, confidently yelling in the cafe, "I failed!" His smirk stayed.

Kaneki was going to kill him for that.

"..." Kaneki grabbed the paper and skimmed over it with darkened eyes. 27 in Japanese history, 19 in science, 32 in mathematics, 13 in English, and the rest weren't much better.

"..."

"I'm sorry."

Hide stopped smirking.


End file.
